Hot
lunch prices raised 5 centsDella Gehring was sworn in as the newest member of the school board
at the regular July meeting Monday, July 19.The board didnít have a quorum available to even start the meeting
until outgoing board member Dan Forsmann arrived. Brit Groom and Roy Schumacher
were absent leaving just John Nida and Kellie Bruner until Gehring could
be sworn in.
Nida was re-elected as board chairman with Schumacher re-elected as
vice-chairman. Nida, Schumacher and clerk/treasurer Denise Uhlenkott will
be the check signers with at least two signatures required on all checks.
The board approved an increase in the hot lunch program. All student
hot lunch prices will go up 5 cents while adult meals will go up 25 cents.
The hot lunch program lost about $16,000 last year but that was partially
offset by the federal money coming in for the breakfast and summer programs.
Lynn Rehder reported they are getting 60 to 70 youngsters per day in for
the summer free lunch program.
Bus rental and facility use rates were kept the same as last year.
The Per Diem rates were raised from the $5 for breakfast, $7 for lunch
and $11 for dinner with a $20 per day cap to $7 for breakfast, $9 for lunch
and $13 for dinner with a $25 per day cap. The state allows up to $30 per
day. This is reimbursement for district employees who are out of town on
district business.
The board voted to keep the same meeting date, the third Monday of
each month, but voted to move the starting time up to 7 p.m. from the current
7:30 p.m. This will start with the August meeting.
The district received 3 bids for the middle school window project.
S & W bid $19,950; Arnzen Building bid $22,386 and Wimer Corp. bid
$18,544. Wimer Corp.ís low bid was approved by the board. This project
will replace the inside loop of windows at the Middle School. Superintendent
Stan Kress said the outside loop were done 15 or so years ago but he wasnít
very impressed with the job. He said they just covered up the windows with
no insulation so that there was no real energy savings realized.
Kress reported they are still working on the fall extracurricular assignments.
Heís proposing Ryan Hasselstrom as head football coach with Mike Sonnen
and Roger Holthaus as possible assistants. The budget has only two paid
coaches so something will need to be worked out there. Danette Coleman
is proposed as head volleyball coach with Kelsey Edwards as assistant coach.
Natalie Wimer is being proposed for dance squad with the cheer squad advisor
still being worked on. Kress said none of those were firmed up as yet and
asked the board for some latitude so that they can get these positions
in place. Theyíll need to start before the next board meeting. The board
granted Kressí request providing that he stays within budget on the coaching
salaries.
Kress reported the engineer is still working on specifications for
the heating system work at the Middle School. It should be ready for bid
opening though by next meeting. The curbing is done on the track at the
football field and pipe has been purchased for extending the watering capability
from the new well to the middle school lawn and the baseball field.
Reneeí Forsmann reported she has been attending training on ISIMS and
will be attending several more and will then train the staff on what she
learns.
Kress reported that although Prairie schools tested over and above
the state goals on the Idaho Reading Indicator and Idaho Standards and
Achievement Test that many schools did not. He passed around a list of
30 some schools that didnít make the IRI goals and said there were something
like 84 schools that didnít make ISAT goals. This coming yearís sophomore
class will be the first that will have to pass the ISAT as a state condition
for graduation. They first get to take the test as sophomores which gives
them several opportunities to retake it if they fail. They can take it
up to twice per year.
He said the board needs to look into putting into policy some conditions
whereby a student could still graduate even though they fail the ISAT.
He said the superintendents association is working up some guidelines so
that you donít wind up with students shopping around at other school districts
for the best criteria to help them graduate should they struggle with the
ISAT.
The board meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. The next meeting will be Monday,
August 16 at 7:00 p.m.